FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Bank of Hope Partners with GoVA Foundation to Expand Financial Education Access for Military Families 

LOS ANGELES, CA (January 15, 2026) — GoVA Foundation announces a strategic partnership with Bank of Hope to provide free digital financial education resources to low- and moderate-income (LMI) military families through GoVA’s innovative platform, The Edge. 

Through a Community Development grant from Bank of Hope, the program will serve qualified military households across San Diego County (California), Cook County (Illinois), Gwinnett County (Georgia), and Montgomery County (Alabama). The Edge platform offers interactive courses, financial calculators, and personalized resources designed to build financial empowerment within the military community. 

“We are partnering with the GoVA Foundation because we believe in their commitment to expand financial education access to military families, service members, and veterans,” said Tom Stenger, SEVP, Chief Risk Officer. “By joining forces with GoVA, we look forward to providing meaningful financial knowledge that will make a lasting impact for current and future generations of military families.” 

GoVA Foundation’s Executive Director, George Earhart, stated: “As an Air Force veteran, I’ve personally witnessed the unique financial challenges that military families face. This partnership with Bank of Hope allows us to provide critical financial education resources to military communities across four states. We’re grateful for Bank of Hope’s commitment to supporting veterans and military families in lower-income communities, and we look forward to the positive impact this collaboration will create.” 

The partnership launched in January 2026 and reflects both organizations’ commitment to supporting military communities and expanding financial education access nationwide. Bank of Hope will receive LMI verification and impact reports as part of the grant agreement, while sponsored military members gain unlimited access to The Edge’s financial education tools for a full year. 

This collaboration is part of GoVA Foundation’s ongoing efforts to partner with forward-thinking financial institutions nationwide in service of military families. 

About GoVA Foundation 

GoVA Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering military families through innovative financial education and resources. GoVA addresses the unique financial challenges many military families face. Through its digital education platform The Edge, GoVA provides comprehensive financial literacy tools, interactive courses, and personalized resources tailored to the needs of service members, veterans, and their spouses. The platform features a mobile-optimized design to ensure accessibility for military families regardless of location. GoVA Foundation has served over 8,000 military families across all 50 states and maintains partnerships with forward-thinking financial institutions. The organization’s mission includes advocacy for military financial wellness and suicide prevention, recognizing the critical link between financial stress and military mental health outcomes. 

About Bank of Hope 

Hope Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: HOPE) is the holding company of Bank of Hope, the only regional Korean American bank in the United States with $18.51 billion in total assets as of September 30, 2025. With the addition of Territorial Savings, a division of Bank of Hope, effective April 2, 2025, the Company became the largest regional bank catering to multicultural customers across the continental United States and Hawaii. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Bank provides a full suite of commercial, corporate and consumer loans, deposit and fee-based products and services, including commercial and commercial real estate lending, SBA lending, residential mortgage and other consumer lending, treasury management services, foreign currency exchange solutions, interest rate derivative products, and international trade financing, among others. The Bank operates 45 full-service branches in California, New York, New Jersey, Washington, Texas, Illinois, Alabama and Georgia under the Bank of Hope banner, and 29 branches in Hawaii under the Territorial Savings banner. The Bank also operates SBA loan production offices, commercial loan production offices, and residential mortgage loan production offices throughout the United States, and a representative office in Seoul, South Korea. For additional information, please go to http://www.bankofhope.com. 

Contact: Lizann Lightfoot, VP of Marketing 
GoVA Foundation 
Email: Lizann.Lightfoot@GoVAFoundation.org